Carrying strap

ABSTRACT

A carrying strap ( 10 ) for carrying a load on a shoulder includes an elongate member ( 11 ) for passing through handles ( 71 ) of, for example, two bags ( 7 ). The elongate member folds about a fold line ( 121 ) substantially orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the elongate member around the handles. A clasp ( 113, 123 ) retains the elongate member around the handles and the shoulder strap is arranged to be carried on a shoulder of a user with the first bag in front of the user and the second bag behind the user.

This invention relates to a carrying strap, and in particular to a padded shoulder strap for carrying loads such as shopping bags.

Bags with shoulder straps are well known in which a strap is permanently or removably fixed to a single bag and the strap is passed over a shoulder of a user to carry the bag supported by the strap on the shoulder, rather than the bag being supported by a hand and arm.

It is advantageous to be able to carry other loads, such as grocery or shopping bags in a manner which leaves both hands free, and weight of the load evenly distributed and carried by a shoulder.

JP 2004 248764 and US 2004/0035899 disclose shoulder straps with clips for clipping to one or more bags to carry the bags below waist level, so as to leave free the hands of a person carrying the bags. However, weight of the bags is not thereby evenly distributed and bags slung so low and unevenly on a person would unbalance and impede the use of, for example, a bicycle while carrying bags with the shoulder strap. FR 2641955 appears to disclose a similar strap, with similar disadvantages, for passing through all the handles of bags to be carried so that the strap adjusted to a short length can be held by hand or adjusted to a longer length passed over a shoulder, apparently with all the suspended bags to one side of the user. A longitudinal rigid member is provided in a sleeve around the strap for keeping a portion of the strap straight which is held in the hand when the strap is used in that mode.

US 2005/0103817 discloses two specially designed bags and shoulder straps in which in one embodiment shoulder straps of the two bags are crossed and the bags are carried in front and at the back of a user with the bags connected to each other by a further connecting strap to stabilize the bags on the person. However, this carrying strap is not suitable for carrying arbitrary shopping and grocery bags or other loads. Similarly NL 1011602 discloses a two-bag and strap integral combination in which one bag may be carried to the front and the other to the back of a person. Again, this system is not suitable for directly carrying, for example, shopping or grocery bags, without using bags of the combination.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,956 discloses a foldable bar equipped with hooks to which handles of bags may be attached and which is provided with a shoulder strap attached to opposed ends of the bar for suspending the bar apparently at waist level. However, since bags or other goods suspended from the bar are spaced along the bar the system is not compact in use. Moreover, since bags axe apparently not carried against the body it would appear that the bags or other goods would oscillate inconveniently as a user moves.

WO 00/40114 discloses an elongate sheet of material having lateral hooks proximate opposed ends of the elongate member for receiving plastic handles of shopping bags. With at least one bag suspended from each end of the elongate member the elongate member can either be held in a hand or passed over a shoulder with at least one bag in front of a person carrying the bags and at least one bag behind the person. One surface of the elongate member or strap may be provided with non-slipping material to secure the strap to a shoulder while an opposed surface may be rounded for carrying by hand. In one embodiment a sleeve surrounds a central portion of the strap to cover sharp edges of the central portion to prevent injury to a hand carrying the loaded strap. In one embodiment the strap is a “relatively thin” sheet of elongate material provided with a plurality of generally transverse ribs to reinforce the thin sheet against transverse bending when the strap is held in a hand. However, there is disclosed no method of retaining bags on the strap other than open hooks and there is disclosed no means of preventing the strap chafing, or bearing uncomfortably on, a shoulder.

EP 0898906 discloses a shoulder strap for golf bags, rucksacks and other carry bags including an airtight inflated sack insert divided into compartments to render a strap more comfortable when carrying a heavy load.

It is an object of the present invention at least to ameliorate the aforesaid shortcomings in the prior art.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an inside or underside view of a shoulder strap according to the invention in an open orientation;

FIG. 2 is an outside or upper view of the shoulder strap of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the shoulder strap of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of the shoulder strap of FIG. 1 in a partially closed orientation;

FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of the shoulder strap of FIG. 1 in a completely closed orientation;

FIG. 6 is an inside or underside view of the shoulder strap of FIG. 1 located through handles of bags to be carried; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the shoulder strap of FIG. 1 in use to carry the bags.

In the Figures like reference numerals denote like parts.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, a shoulder strap 10 according to the invention comprises an elongate double layered member 11, at least a central portion 110, of which is padded, the central portion 110 comprising approximately a third of the length of the elongate double layered member. A suitable padding is foam and wadding. The central portion is bounded to the left and right, as viewed in the Figures, by a first fold line 121 and a second fold line 131 respectively.

It will be understood that references to the left hand and the right hand herein refer to the carrying strap as illustrated, and no limitation is intended thereby other than to distinguish between ends of the carrying strap for clarity of the description.

Adjacent the first fold line 121, and within a left-hand portion 120 of the double layered member 11, to the left, as shown in the drawings, of the central portion 110, is a first transverse elongate stiffening member 122 of a length almost equal to a width to the elongate member 11. Adjacent to the second fold line 131, but within the central portion 110, is a second transverse elongate stiffening member 112 also of a length almost equal to a width to the elongate member 11.

Attached by tape 124 to the inside face of the elongate member 11 adjacent an outer end of the left hand portion 120 is a female member 123 of a latching clasp or buckle. Attached by tape 114 to the inside face of the elongate member 11 adjacent to the second fold line 131 within the left central portion 110 is a male member 113 of the latching clasp or buckle for cooperation with the female member 123.

An outer portion of the inner face of the right hand portion, proximate a free end thereof, is provided with first attachment means 135, such as Velcro® hooks, for engaging second attachment means 125, such as Velcro® loops, on an outer face of the left hand portion 120, proximate a free end thereof, as shown in FIG. 2, in a manner to be described herein.

As also shown in FIG. 2, the outer face of right hand portion 130 may be provided with for example a logo. Alternatively, or in addition, a member of an outer clasp or buckle may be provided on this surface.

As best seen in FIG. 6, to load the shoulder strap with bags 7 the shoulder strap 10 is passed partially through handles 71 of the bags 7 to be loaded until the bag handles 71 are between the female member 123 and the male member 113 of the clasp. The left hand portion 120 is folded along the first fold line 121 through substantially 180 degrees in the direction of arrow-headed line 126 in FIG. 3 until the male member 113 of the clasp or buckle can latchingly engage the female member 123 of the clasp or buckle and the clasp or buckle is closed. In this position an inner face of the left hand portion 120 is opposed to the inner face of the central portion 110 as shown in FIG. 4, with the bag handles 71 between the latched clasp 113, 123 and the inner face of the left hand portion 120 and the inner face of the central portion 110. The right hand portion 130 is then also folded with respect to the central portion 110 about the second fold line 131 through substantially 180 degrees in the direction of arrow-headed line 136 in FIG. 4 until at least an outer extremity of the right hand portion 130 overlays an outer extremity of the left hand portion 120 and the first attachment means 125 on the outer face of the left hand portion 120 engages the second attachment means 135 on the inner face of the right hand portion 130 to hold the right hand portion 130 in place over the clasp or buckle 113, 123.

Instead of, or in addition to, the first and second attachment means 125, 135, members of an outer buckle or clasp may be provided on the outer faces of the left and right hand portions 120, 130 respectively to retain the right hand portion 130 over the inner clasp or buckle 113, 123.

It will be understood that instead of folding the right hand end portion at least partially over the left hand end portion as illustrated, the right hand end portion could be folded so that a free end of the right hand end portion abuts, and is preferably fastened to, a free end of the left hand end portion.

It will be further understood that the principle purpose of folding the right hand portion 130 is merely to conceal the clasp or buckle in use, and that the strap of the invention may be used without this second fold.

One or more pockets may be provided in the carrying strap for storing, for example, a rain-proof cover for the carrying strap or one or more bags.

Referring to FIG. 7, in use the shoulder strap is placed on a shoulder of a user with, for example, at least one bag in front of the user and at least one bag behind the user. The stiffening members 112, 122 tend to retain the shoulder strap substantially flat around the shoulder by opposing forces exerted by the bag handles 71 tending the squeeze the shoulder strap laterally, i.e. transversely.

Thus the invention provides a comfortable padded shoulder strap for carrying two or more bags, designed for lightening the apparent load of carrying shopping bags with the advantage of freeing hands to hold onto children, opening doors, paying a bill etc. The strap may also be used for carrying other objects with handles or similar carrying means. In operation the strap is simply threaded through handles of bags, the clasp is closed and the two outer portions 120, 130 of the strap 10 attached together with Velcro® fastener. The strap 10 is slung onto a shoulder with one bag or multiple bags evenly weighted, carried both in front and behind. The well-balanced load is easier to carry, avoids tiring the wrists and elbows of the user and feels a lot lighter than carrying bags by hand.

An embodiment merely with attachment means such as Velcro® fastener can be used for lighter weights instead of the inner clasp 113, 123 described above. The inner clasp is used to provide greater security for heavier loads. The clasp could alternatively be placed on the outside of the folded support strap and could be fashioned as a logo or design.

The shoulder strap can be made from various fabrics, plastic or leather and is adaptable for a variety of personalized designs either shaped into logos or logos may be printed onto the fabric for promotional purposes.

Although the invention has been described as a shoulder strap, it will be understood that the described device can also be used additionally or alternatively to carry bags, and other loads with handles, by hand, for example, to prevent handles of loaded plastic bags bearing uncomfortably on a hand. 

1-13. (canceled)
 14. A carrying strap arranged to carry a load on a shoulder, the carrying strap being characterized by an elongate member arranged for passing through first handle means of a first portion of the load and through second handle means of a second portion of the load and arranged for folding the elongate member about fold lines substantially orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the elongate member around the first handle means and second handle means and latching means for retaining the elongate member around a portion of the first handle means and a portion of second handle means such that the shoulder strap is arranged to be carried on a shoulder of a user with the first portion of the load in front of the user and the second portion of the load behind the user, wherein the elongate member comprises: a central padded portion; a first end portion for folding along a first fold line transverse to the longitudinal axis; and a second end portion, opposed to the first end portion, for folding along a second fold-line transverse to the longitudinal axis and wherein the latching means comprises a first portion of the latching means affixed to the first end means and a second portion of the latching means affixed to the first end means and a second portion of the latching means located on the central portion, arranged for engaging the first portion of the latching means such that the first end portion and the central portion are latchable around the portion of the first handle means and the portion of the second handle means, wherein the carrying strap is arranged to fold the second end portion, opposed to the first end portion, over the central portion and at least partially over the folded first end portion.
 15. A carrying strap as claimed in claim 14, further comprising fastening means for fastening the second end portion to the first end portion with the second end means folded about the second fold line.
 16. A carrying strap as claimed in claim 14, arranged to fold the second end portion, opposed to the first end portion, over the central portion and at least partially over the folded first end portion.
 17. A carrying strap as claimed in claim 14, further comprising stiffening means arranged to cause the shoulder strap to lay substantially flat on the shoulder by opposing forces exerted by the handle means to compress the shoulder strap transversely.
 18. A carrying strap as claimed in claim 17, wherein the stiffening means comprise at least one elongate stiffening member arrange substantially orthogonally to the longitudinal axis.
 19. A method of carrying on a should a first portion of a load with first handle means and a second portion of the load with second handle means, comprising the steps of: a. providing elongate flexible strap means comprising a central portion, a first end portion and a second end portion opposed to the first end portion, and latching means affixed thereto, with a first portion of the latching means affixed to the first end portion and a second portion of the latching means affixed to the central portion; b. passing the elongate flexible strap means around the first and second handle means; c. latching the elongate flexible strap means around the first and second handle means with the latching means; and d. suspending the load from the elongate flexible strap means from a should of a user with the first portion of the load in front of the user and second portion of the load behind the user; wherein latching the elongate flexible strap means comprises folding the first end portion along a first fold line transverse to the longitudinal axis; and engaging the first portion of the latching means with the second portion of the latching means such that the first end portion of the central portion are latched around the portion of the first handle means and the portion of the second handle means.
 20. A method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the step of providing elongate strap means comprises providing elongate strap means comprising padding means.
 21. A method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the step of providing elongate strap means comprises providing elongate strap means comprising transverse stiffening means.
 22. A method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the step of passing the elongate flexible strap means around the first and second handle means comprises folding the first end portion of the elongate flexible strap means with respect to a remaining portion of the elongate flexible strap means over the first and second handle means.
 23. A method as claimed in claim 19, wherein in the step of providing elongate flexible strap means with cooperating fastening means on the first end portion and the second end portion and fastening the second end portion to the first end portion with the fastening means when the second end portion is folded at least partially over the second end portion. 